Good Morning Friends,
“All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the
Lord weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the
Lord than sacrifice.” (Proverbs 21:2-3)
There is a strong temptation for all of us to
develop a set of outward actions that represent a right relationship with the
Lord.
The Pharisees fell headlong into that trap. They
took the ceremonies and rituals outlined in the Old Testament Law and made
those outward actions represent being right with God. They went so far that all
that mattered was the outward actions, the heart didn’t matter at all. Jesus condemned
the Pharisees more strongly than any others with whom He came in contact. The point
Jesus was making was that the outward actions don’t mean anything if the heart
isn’t right!
Our hearts matter to God most of all!
We face the same temptation the Pharisees gave
in to. Church attendance, giving, service to the Lord and to others, daily
Bible reading, and a whole host of other outward actions can become the marks
of a good relationship with God in our minds. Although all of those things are important,
if the heart isn’t right, they don’t matter to God at all. They are only
evidences of God’s work in our lives when they come from our heart!
“The Lord weighs the heart.” That is what He
is interested in most. If the heart is right, right actions will follow out of
its overflow. Ritual and sacrifice, religious ceremony, and good works only
count when they reflect the heart.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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